Donald Trump should immediately fire Corey Lewandowski following the battery charge lodged against his campaign manager for allegedly roughhousing journalist Michelle Fields, a group of 15 conservative female writers are urging.

In an explosive letter delivered to the Republican presidential front-runner on Wednesday, 16 women, considered key members of the right-leaning female media elite, write:

"The press is to have an adversarial, yet civil approach to those in, or running, for elected office. Never in this line of work is it acceptable to respond to reasonable and legitimate questioning with use of physical force.

"The photographs, audio, videos, and witness accounts documenting the treatment of Michelle Fields by Corey Lewandowski, Donald Trump's campaign manager, are inexcusable and unprofessional. Donald Trump should immediately remove Lewandowski from his campaign."

The letter goes onto say that the Trump campaign has stated Lewandowski will not be fired even if he is convicted.

"However unlike the Trump campaign, we believe in making a statement on the record to clearly highlight the difference between right and wrong," it concludes.

Lewandowski turned himself in to authorities in Jupiter, Florida, after a warrant was issued on charges that he grabbed Fields, then a Breitbart News reporter, while she was trying to ask Trump questions after a press conference.

Lewandowski has denied Fields' claims, and Trump appeared on several news programs on Wednesday to stand up for his top aide.

"She made up the story. She said she was yanked down . . . She grabbed me by the arm. I didn't know who it was," Trump said Wednesday on NBC's "Today" show.

"She went through Secret Service because they were surrounding me and we were walking out. She was asking questions she wasn't supposed to because the press conference had ended."

Trump also said he does not think charges would not have been filed had Lewandowski apologized instead of denying anything happened.

"I think if he called up, said he's sorry, I think she would have used it against him. I'm not a believer in that . . . I don't think anything would have happened. I think we'd be in the same place. She'd have a little better evidence. Right now, she's got no evidence," he said.

A new video of the incident appears to show Lewandowski grabbing Fields, who resigned from Breitbart after the conservative news service appeared not to support her claim.

Donald Trump should immediately fire Corey Lewandowski following the battery charged lodged against his campaign manager for allegedly roughhousing journalist Michelle Fields, a group of 15 conservative female writers are urging.